Unveiling of plans for the new exclusive club, Domus Artium Reserve, dedicated to exquisite wines and gastronomy, happened at the one-star Michelin Cracco restaurant, in Milan, late last month.
The project involves esteemed culinary figures such as Carlo Cracco, Yannik Allenò from his self-named three-star Michelin restaurant located in Paris, in addition to Thomas Keller, holder of numerous Michelin stars and founder of the three-star restaurant, The French Laundry, located in Napa Valley.
Prestigious vintners Michel Rolland and Riccardo Cotarella, from France and Italy respectively, are also participating in this project.
An intention of theirs is to create a Franco-Italian blend, labeled ‘Four Hands’, to commemorate this special event. Furthermore, a synergic effort between Rolland and Keller to concoct a Bordeaux wine is also in the pipeline.
Joining the Domus Artium Reserve is exclusively by invitation. The new club aims to showcase the epitome of wine and food culture, providing a level of authenticity that is often hard to find, even for the wealthy.
The club is brought to life by Barrett Wissman, a former musician and the honorary chairman of IMG Artists. Wissman is known for organizing prestigious events in Italy such as the Tuscan Sun Festival and the Taormina Film Festival.
Wissman teamed up with wine and tech entrepreneur Gregory Salinger, the mind behind the wine ecommerce platform Chateau Online, to realize his vision.
The activities for Domus Artium Reserve’s members take place on numerous levels.
The central focus of the club will be its enduring home base at Palazzo Ruspoli in Rome. Club members will also be granted access to amenities at the 67 Pall Mall club located in multiple global cities such as London, Melbourne, Singapore, and Bordeaux.
Additionally, parties and gatherings will be curated by Domus Artium Reserve, under the guidance of renowned wine journalist Antonio Galloni, with the ambition of linking the realms of film, viticulture, and gourmet cuisine.
Event preparations are already in motion according to Wissman, with the inaugural event scheduled for this upcoming summer. He stated, ‘In three months, the club will be up and running. Our kickoff celebration will be in the summer and within the next four to six weeks, we expect the arrival of two or three distinguished guests.
While he was somewhat reticent in providing further details, he did let slip that actor Robert Redford will be among the upcoming guests.
Wissman expressed his vision of hosting events, dinners, tastings, tours, masterclasses, and concerts that would be accessible solely for members.
He emphasized another component of Domus Artium Reserve’s operations, which is the crafting of wine by the two renowned winemakers.
The goal is to afford well-known public personalities the chance to develop their own wine with Cotarella and Rolland annually. A professional design team within the organization will aid in devising customized labels.
‘Public figures recognize the perils attached to investing in an established sector like the wine industry. They know that the chances of failing in wine manufacturing are often high,’ Wissman noted.
‘With Domus Artium Reserve, we aim to help in building an environment that nurtures authentic projects.’
Cotarella stated, ‘I believed I’d encountered all the wine world had to offer, from the arid desert to the north of Japan, but I couldn’t foresee such an intriguing project.’
The club’s website went live on the day of the presentation in Milan, and it included information on the two custom wine series, along with instructions on how to sign up for an allocation: